Sometimes for an NHL goaltender, it would seem that being lucky is just as important as being great at stopping the puck.

For Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask, who on Friday was announced as a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, his first bit of good fortune, you might argue, was being dealt away from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Landing softly in a Bruins organization where he first backed up Tim Thomas — and won a Stanley Cup in that job — allowed him to develop as an NHLer. By the time Thomas had his celebrated meltdown, Rask was ready to step into the starter’s role.

And now for the latest big break: Thriving in one of the best defensive operations going in the league.

The progression has been strong and steady and has included another trip to the Cup final last spring, followed up by playing a key role in leading the Bruins to the Presidents’ Trophy this season.

Still, Rask’s success isn’t for everybody, with a conveniently simple analysis of painting him as a goalie who doesn’t have to do too much — as Red Wings coach Mike Babcock suggested earlier this week. That, of course, is doing the Finnish Olympian a disservice.

“I’ve had some good goalies in my career and some not-so-good goalies,” Bruins defenceman Matt Bartkowski said on Friday afternoon as his team gathered at the TD Garden following Thursday’s 3-2 overtime win over the Wings in Detroit.

“And whenever you have a good goalie back there, it’s a world of difference just being able to worry about your job and not giving up too much. If you have a good goalie back there, you can just play your game.

“I have no doubt he is the best goalie in the league and, so far these playoffs, he’s been showing it.”

There is also little question that Rask has been among the most important contributors in the Bruins’ strong start to the current post-season, helping his team to a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal that could conclude in Game 5 on Saturday afternoon at the TD Garden.

In the Bruins’ run to the Stanley Cup final last spring, Rask put together a .940 save percentage and 1.88 goals-against average. Through four games against the Wings, he’s at .966 and 0.96. While he hasn’t always been asked to make big saves, there were a handful on Thursday when the Wings put forth their best effort of the series, including an overtime breakaway stop of Justin Abdelkader.

Overall, it’s been a memorable season for Rask, his first full 82-game slate as a starter, and one he and the Bruins hope will finish in style. At the Sochi Olympics, he was a big reason why Team Finland was able to claim a bronze medal with a shutout upset over the U.S., a development that only served to continue his development.

“I think (the Olympics) was a confidence builder for sure,” Rask said on Friday. “Getting a medal and playing good hockey there helped a lot. I just tried to hold onto that feeling.”

Even when he was drafted in the first round by the Leafs (21st overall) in the 2005 entry draft, Rask was confident he would achieve the success he has the past few seasons. When he was dealt to the Bruins in 2006 — a deal that still stings Leafs supporters — that development may have been slower than Rask would have liked, but it has paid off.

“I felt that all along,” Rask said of his belief he could be an impact NHL netminder. “But when you play more, and you get consecutive starts and you feel like you’ve proved yourself in the league, then you just try to build on that and keep working hard.

“I’ve always felt like, as long as I get my chances, I’ll be able to play.”

As Babcock hinted — and to be fair, he heaped praise on Rask as well — it doesn’t hurt that Rask is insulated by a defensive system that doesn’t ask the goaltender to win games solo. But that’s a two-way street, as his defencemen have come to appreciate.

“We all know that if we do our jobs and give Tuukka the right shot, he’s going to save it,” Bartkowski said.

QUICK HITS

Is it a flu bug that has sidetracked Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard, an injury or a lack of confidence from Babcock? The official team stance is the flu, although the Detroit coach wasn’t banking on any miracle recovery on Friday when he named Jonas Gustavsson the Game 5 starter. Of note, Babcock did praise Gustavsson’s play following Thursday’s loss ... While earlier in the series, mentioning last year’s near-collapse against the Leafs was a dirty word around the Bruins, the mood has clearly changed. In fact, several players have acknowledged that close call has been a motivation to seek a quick end to the Wings series. “We can learn a lot from last year,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “There is meaning to tomorrow’s win. We can end it, but the urgency still has to be there.” ... Friday’s overtime deflection was former Flame Jarome Iginla’s sixth career post-season game winner, but his first in overtime ... Rask’s career playoff record is now a solid 24-15 ... The Wings are hoping to get Daniel Alfredsson back for Saturday afternoon’s contest. The former Sen has missed the past two games with a back ailment ... How do you like the Wings chances? Well, they’ve only come back from a 3-1 series deficit twice in club history: 1992 versus Minnesota and 1987 against the Leafs. The Bruins, meanwhile, didn’t lose three in a row all season ... Great answer from Johnny Boychuk when asked to describe Rask in one word. “Skinny,” the Bruins defenceman quipped ... The Bruins are expecting a better effort from Henrik Zetterberg than on Thursday, his first game since having back surgery in February. The Wings captain was essentially out of gas after the first period ... Their dominating play in the series has cemented the Bruins’ status as betting favourites to win the Cup at odds of 2.75 to 1. Second choice, prior to Friday’s play, was San Jose at 5.5-1 followed by Montreal, the Bruins’ next opponent (should they advance), St. Louis and Pittsburgh, all at 6.5-1.